Rodney Webster wrote:

> In article <10k4kp397dcepaa@corp.supernews.com>,
>  nepacific <user@host.net> wrote:
>
> > Permissible redundancy, in my opinion. It's explanatory.
> >
> > Some of those sites take their "scanlations" down when the mangas are
> > licensed for translation. At least that's something. Although I think
> > it's still copyright infringement, there's an argument to be made that
> > this form of piracy may actually develop the market.
>
> And I've read comments from Japanese artists who said they gave up
> releasing their anime to the US market because fan-sub were already
> available.

While that is too bad for the Japanese, maybe they should come out with a
quality, reasonably priced release fairly quickly, otherwise people who
want something in their own country in their own language will turn to
pirates who will establish themselves first.

For example the Japanese made for France production "Mysterious Cities of
Gold" shown on Nickelodeon during the 80s is available in Japanese for the
equivalent of about $400, or about $90 in French (and French only) for the
Canadian market and I hear the quality of that release is not so good.
However, there is no release in English for the US, so those who deal in
old copies recorded off TV or unauthorized dubs and subs of foreign DVDs
are the only game in town, for maybe $40, available at any time on eBay or
with a web search. It's been about 15 years' wait with no results, so if
someone wants to watch their beloved "Mysterious Cities of Gold" in
English, and it's no longer on Nickelodeon, what are they to do?

Hint for the Japanese: only a freak would pay $400 for MCoG (about 40
episodes) in English, but a fan might gladly pay $90 for a remastered
authorized US release. I see authorized DVD sets of two seasons of the
uncut "Sailor Moon" did ok in the US for over $100, a quarter of the
Japanese price, despite not being remastered and even fans complaining
about poor sound, but they had waited so long and were so devoted they were
willing to get it.

Why are those Japanese videos, even live action, so much more expensive in
their own country than even authorized US releases? Even in Hawaii, there
are companies that come out with authorized subtitled versions of chambara
movies and 70s henshin heroes for much less, maybe half or one third the
cost of the originals (if they are even available on DVD in Japan, I see no
"Jinzou Ningen Kikaida" and WTF is a single volume of "Inazuman" 14,490
yen?). Why should people given a choice buy those original videos?